noun modifier vs adverbial modifier

[DakeW543]

I am not very sure what the modifier is modifying in the following cases. Can anyone help me out?

1. I greeted the boy, playing basketball.
Who is playing basketball? The boy or myself? I think this sentence is grammatically correct but ambiguous. Am I correct? If I am playing basketball, how about the following one?

2. I greeted the boy, playing basketball, but he didn't see me.
Is it still me playing basketball? Thanks.

[StaceyKoprince]

Hi! Please see my response to your other post.

Brief response: a comma-ing modifier refers to the entire clause, so "playing basketball" would refer to "I greeted the boy"—but that doesn't really make sense, so you would not write the sentence in either of the ways shown, with a comma.

If you remove the comma, then the boy is playing basketball.

Here is an example of correct usage of a comma -ing:
I slipped on the ice, breaking my ankle.

I'm not just telling you that I broke my ankle. I'm telling you that it's because I slipped on the ice—so that entire action is modified by breaking my ankle.